Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, and other electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, and more particularly to a wet development device and a wet image forming apparatus that employ wet development as a development method.
Description of the Related Art
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 2009-169321, 2005-121816, and 2006-30719 disclose a wet development device and a wet image forming apparatus using wet development.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-169321 discloses a configuration in which the lengths in the axial direction of a photoconductor cleaning roller, a photoconductor cleaning roller blade, a photoconductor cleaning blade, and a groove region of an application roller are defined, and the length in the axial length of the photoconductor cleaning roller is longer than the photoconductor cleaning roller blade and shorter than the cleaning blade. The length of the groove region of the application roller is shorter than the photoconductor cleaning roller blade.
Given that the groove region width of the application roller is generally equal to the developer supply width, the following relation holds based on the disclosure of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-169321: the length of developer supply<the length of the photoconductor cleaning roller blade<the length of the photoconductor cleaning roller<the length of the photoconductor cleaning blade.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-121816 discloses a configuration related to removal of residual toner on an intermediate transfer unit. Improving the dispersion state of residual toner on the intermediate transfer unit is described, and the use of alternating bias as the means for improvement is disclosed.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-30719 discloses a technique in which assistant means is provided for weakening aggregation of toner particles in cleaning of a developer carrying member. Only a charge eliminator and an alternating bias applying roller are disclosed as assistant means.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 2005-121816 and 2006-30719 disclose the provision of a member for applying alternating bias upstream of the cleaning blade but does not describe the length in the axial direction thereof.